Attachment for paint cans or the like



A. E. ASTLEY Jufly 5, 1932.

INT CANS OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1. 1930 Patented July 5, 1932 UNITED.STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT E. ASTLEY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA ATi'AC'HMENTFOR PAINT CANS OR THE LIKE Application filed Hovember 1, 1980. SerialNo. 492,771.

that increases the capacity of the same there- 1 by making it possibleto add additional material or substance to the material, liquid, or

substance already in the can container.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an attachment fora paint can or like that takes the place of the lid original- 1y on thecan and permits and facilitates the pouring of the material from the canwithout loss or waste of material from spilling during the pouringprocess. 4

A still further object of this invention is to provide an attachment fora paint can or like that prevents material from the can from soiling theoutside of the can and one that is capable of removing the excessmaterial or paint from a paint brush.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained as hereinafl ter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claimand illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of my invention in use on an ordinary containersuch as a paint can or like.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional View of my device on a can container and morefully illus- 0 trates its construction.

for can containers, detached from a container. Fig. 4 is a top plan viewof my invention and shows the flange for removing excess material from apaint brush or like.

When one opens a can of paint for painting purposes, it is necessary tostir up the contents until the same is thoroughly and properly mixed.This is due to the fact that the solid material tends to separate fromthe liquid material after the can has been Fig. 3 is a side view of myattachment inert for some time. As the new can is completely fullofmaterial it is impossible to stir the same without spilling some of thematerial, thereby necessitating the pouring of a art of the materialinto an auxiliary contamer-which may or may not be at hand. Also thematerial may be too thick for successful painting and it will benecessary to add a thinner. Again it is impossible to pour a part of thematerial from sucha can without the same spilling and running down theside of the can. I have overcome all these difficulties by providing anattachment that takes the place of the lid of the can and increases thecapacity of the can.

I have used the numeral 10 to designate the usual can container forholding paint and the like. Such cans are grooved 11 at their uppermarginal edge, as is well known for receiving a lid (not shown) whichencloses the top and which may be easily removed by prying off with ascrew-driver or like and as easily replaced. After the lid is removed myattachment takes the place of the lid on the can as is shown in thedrawing. I have used the numeral 12 to generally designate my attachmentwhich is in the form of a short length of tubing. This tubing has anendless -circular projection 13 formed on its lower marginal edge, whichis designed to enter and frictionally engage the circular groove 11 inthe can 10 as shown in Fig. 2. When the device is thus placed on a canit will be rigidly secured thereon, but may easily be pried ofi in thesame manner that the lid was removed. After my device is removed the lidmay be replaced in the usual manner to enclose the can and my attachmentmay be saved to be replaced again on the same can at a later date whenit is desired to again paint with the contents in the can, or myattachment may be placed on another can having the same groove anddiameter. In other words my invention may be used indefinitely as thereis no part to wear out.

When on a can the tube portion of the invention extends upwardly asshown in the drawing, thereby becoming a part of the can 10 and not onlyincreasing the capacity of the same, but providing a sharp uppermarginal ed e that facilitates the pouring, if desired, 0 any of thematerial from the can.

This pouring is also facilitated by tapering the wall of my attachmentslightly inwardly as it progresses upwardly, as shown in the drawin Thistapering also tends to hold the liquid material in the device bypreventing slopping of the material and also prevents the paint or likefrom running down the side of the can.

The numeral 14 designates a flange formed on the upper marginal edge ofthe attachment 12, extending inwardly as shown in Fig. 2. This flangemay be used as a scraper for removing excess paint from a paint brush.The paint thus removed falls back into the can 10. By the projection 13entering the groove 11, the can 10 will be in a very clean conditionwhen the attachment is removed for the replacing of the lid. Although Ihave described my invention as applied to paint cans, it may be used toequal advantage on other cans containing different material ormaterials.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of myimproved attachment for paint cans or the like, without departing fromthe real spirit and purpose of my invention, and itis my intention tocover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanicalequivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

In a. device of the class described, a tubular member designed to bedetachably secured to an open top receptacle for increasing the capacityof said receptacle: said tubular member having its circular side wallextending upwardly from said receptacle, and a flange in said tubularmember positioned at a height above the highest elevation of saidreceptacle designed to serve as a scraper for removing excess liquidfrom a paint brush or like.

ALBERT E. ASTLEY.

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